I rented a villa in the Catania/Brucili/Augusta area with my adult children. We like to explore areas around, wine tasting, shopping, sightseeing, great restaurant's, etc. I could use some recommendations for places to go and highlights we should not miss. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Edited thread's title to Sicily

We went to Sicily in October and the weather was perfect! Warm not hot. You made a good choice. How long will you spend in Sicily?
Make sure you visit Ortigia Island, Siracusa’s historic center. We spend a week there and it was hard to leave.
Look at the Baroque towns of Noto, Modica and Ragusa too. Noto is closest to Ortigia.
If you are interested in Palermo, Agrigento, and Trapani consider a second base in the west.

From Catania you should check out the Circumetnea Train, which, as its name suggests, makes almost a complete RT around Etna.
You should also take a bus to Taormina, a beautiful hill town with lovely shops, spectacular views and a wonderful Greek theater. Taormina has unfortunately become very touristy - although October might not be too bad - but it should definitely be seen. If you can check to see when the cruise ships stop there and manage to avoid those days, it would be even more enjoyable.

I agree with all of Happy Trvlr's recos. I'm heading for my 6th visit to Sicily in May and cannot wait. I have been there in October and the weather is ideal. Still warm enough to swim but not overwhelmingly hot. You will love Sicily.

Also, depending on how much time you have, a day trip to the Aeolian Islands, and a visit to Cefalu for a day would be worthwhile.

Hi Deb,
If you visit Noto, then maybe try the Best Gelato on the Planet @ Costanzos---better than their more high-profile, Bourdain-endorsed competitor nearby.
I am done. the vitamin G

Thanks Happy Trvlr for your help. We will be in Sisisly for 1 week and plan on using the house as the base, ANy Greta restaurant recommendations?

Thanks panecott- we will for sure check all those out. Any Greta restaurant ideas?

Is Greta = great? Rather confusing.
Sisdily= Sicily?? !
Ortigia: Locanda del Collegio, Ristorante Regina Lucia

Hi Deb,
I'm not great at remembering details but in Ortigia, a little hole in the wall called La Lisca (something like that) in the fish market was wonderful for freshly caught fish. In Taormina, the Porta Messina, which is right outside the Porta Messina gate, was great. It may seem like a touristy place but the food is excellent and a lot of Italians eat there. I had 2 meals there which were delicious. I also took a half day cooking class there, which was great fun. Of course, this was 5 years ago, pre-Covid, so I can't speak for the present. Good luck.